Chapter 560
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 560
Chapter Title: The Food Here Tastes Good
Conveying his master's final words, Gwan Po's face was a mix of resignation—as if it couldn't possibly happen—and faint hope.
Ha Mu-baek watched him quietly.
"If fate brings you to meet the corps leader, there might be a way to heal it... How very much like Won Gak. He could have just told you to come find me. Tsk."
Ha Mu-baek clicked his tongue lightly.
It was a gesture laced with regret.
Ha Mu-baek could guess why Won Gak had phrased it as "if fate brings you."
Back then, the war with the Blood Cult and Demonic Cult had been raging fiercely.
Won Gak hadn't wanted to burden the Hocheon Corps—potentially locked in a desperate battle—by sending his disciple to him.
And then...
If the war ended safely, Won Gak must have believed that his disciple, knowing who he was, would seek him out. That's why he'd said "if fate brings you."
'Won Gak. I failed to live up to your expectations. I'm sorry.'
He'd merely buried his subordinates in his heart, never seeking out their traces.
In any case...
By some absurd stroke of fate, he'd now met Won Gak's disciple.
Was it the will of heaven?
Fate truly was an unpredictable thing.
"Do you want it healed?"
Ha Mu-baek asked.
Gwan Po nodded.
It was only natural.
Not for any other reason.
Revenge?
He'd lost his mind for a moment upon seeing Un Se-hyuk's demonic arts and charged in.
But having been through it once, he was even more certain now.
Revenge was nothing but a pipe dream.
Besides, the Demonic Cult was already defeated and on the brink of ruin.
He just...
Wanted to escape this godforsaken pain and suffering.
Not lie limp all day in an opium haze, but stay clear-headed and alert.
That's why he desperately hoped his dantian could be healed.
"Then first, I need to know what you were hit with."
At Ha Mu-baek's words, Gwan Po grimaced.
Remembering that monstrous man's overwhelming power from that day.
"The one who wrecked your dantian was one of the Demonic Cult's Eight Dharma Protectors. A vicious bastard. He gets off on using his eerie demonic qi to burst dantians and kill people. A real lunatic."
Ha Mu-baek's explanation forced Gwan Po to relive that day.
That mad bastard who was like a fiend from hell.
That bastard...
Ha Mu-baek's words made Gwi Hwi grimace as well.
One name came to mind.
Fierce Underworld King Ak Cho.
The third of the Demonic Cult's Dharma Protectors, his title with "fierce" in it was laughably apt for a maniac whose cruelty knew no bounds.
"You mean the Third Dharma Protector?"
"Yeah. Ak Cho, that lunatic."
The moment Gwi Hwi and Ha Mu-baek's conversation reached Gwan Po's ears...
Gwan Po muttered as if entranced.
"Fierce Underworld King Ak Cho..."
That was the name the bastard had boasted of that day.
"Right. If you get hit by his Underworld Demon Kill, you'll end up like you, Gwan Po. Won Gak was able to hold it back to this extent because it was him. He'd raised the Great Power White Snail Art to such heights."
Gwan Po realized anew just how remarkable his master had been.
Ak Cho.
His master had collapsed after barely lasting ten exchanges against that monster.
Yet he'd still managed to save him.
"Ch... Can it be treated?"
Gwan Po asked in a trembling voice.
Ha Mu-baek nodded.
"It's tough, but possible. Especially in your case, it'll be even harder."
Questioning looks turned toward Ha Mu-baek.
"It hurts. Hurts like hell. Underworld Demon Kill—that's how Ak Cho, that psycho, designed it. Even suppressing the dantian cracks with the Great Power White Snail Art couldn't do anything about the pain. The technique itself vastly outclasses it from the start."
Ha Mu-baek.
Was there anything this man didn't know?
How could he even know about that hellish agony of his?
"But choosing opium to forget that pain? That was a truly foolish thing to do."
It pierced his heart.
"To heal your dantian, the first step is burning away the Underworld Demon Kill completely. For that, your internal energy needs purifying too. But you've soaked yourself in opium."
Gwan Po unwittingly hung his head.
But...
That pain really wasn't something a sane person could endure.
"Well, maybe surviving this long was thanks to the opium. Even with the seal on your dantian, you might have offed yourself if you couldn't take it. Thinking that way, calling it foolish doesn't fit. Foolish, yet wise? Damn. What a mess."
Gwan Po snapped his head up.
His face full of shock.
He'd actually harbored those thoughts before.
If not for his master's dying words, he might have acted on them.
Even choosing opium was ultimately to honor his master's final wish to survive.
"H-How... do you know that pain?"
Ha Mu-baek smirked at Gwan Po's incredulous question.
"I've been hit by that bastard too."
That was it.
Not long after Ha Mu-baek had left the Demonic Cult.
Before he became the Hocheon Corps Leader.
He'd been struck by Ak Cho's Underworld Demon Kill.
Very few knew that fact.
Gwi Hwi's shocked face showed he'd never heard it before.
Hope dawned on Gwan Po's face at Ha Mu-baek's confession.
Here was someone who'd suffered the same thing and was living fine—not just fine, but like a complete monster.
"Before burning out the demonic qi, we need to purge the opium from you first. So hole up somewhere. I'll draw it out for you."
At Ha Mu-baek's words, Gwan Po clasped his hands in respect and bowed deeply.
"Th-Thank you! Corps Leader!"
the Honorifics spilled from Gwan Po's mouth for the first time.
"Enough. Go rest. I'll come find you when it's time."
Gwan Po rose and slowly left the Flowing Cloud Martial Hall.
He walked unsteadily, likely from the wounds Un Se-hyuk had inflicted, but Ha Mu-baek showed no intention of treating those too.
Ha Mu-baek's gaze shifted back to the Plum Blossom Sword Sage.
"Heh. The connections of the world are truly wondrous."
"The world is vast, yet sometimes feels suffocatingly small."
Ha Mu-baek replied calmly.
"So why are you here?"
Ha Mu-baek asked again.
Gwi Hwi glanced at Gwan Ha-gyeong, then gave up.
Ha Mu-baek was the Fierce Dragon Corps Leader now, and she'd mentioned the Fierce Dragon Corps.
He wasn't the type to press his subordinates.
"It's because of what this child—Su-yeon—said earlier."
"The Plum Blossom Sword Method?"
Gwi Hwi nodded at Ha Mu-baek's question.
"Hmm. It looked better though?"
Gwi Hwi shook his head even at Ha Mu-baek's praise.
"It's not the true Plum Blossom Sword Method."
"So there's a clue to the true Plum Blossom Sword Method here at the Flowing Cloud Martial Hall."
Gwi Hwi nodded in affirmation.
"Interesting."
Ha Mu-baek crossed his arms and stared at Gwi Hwi intently.
A very brief moment passed.
Then Ha Mu-baek blurted out.
"Clouds?"
Gwi Hwi and Wi Su-yeon were stunned by the casual remark.
They knew he was beyond monstrous.
But to bring up "clouds" just from hearing they were seeking the true Plum Blossom Sword Method...
Gwi Hwi felt utterly deflated.
What had taken him years of meditation, endurance, and training to infer, Ha Mu-baek had spat out after a moment's thought.
Ha Mu-baek spoke as if it were nothing.
"This is the Flowing Cloud Martial Hall. And there's no plum blossoms on Huashan."
Ha Mu-baek had visited Huashan before.
The Huashan Sect, famed for its Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword, oddly had few plum trees on the mountain itself.
Especially on Lotus Flower Peak, where the sect was based—there were none at all.
"This hall must be an offshoot of Huashan. No wonder I spotted hints of a famed sword style in Yu Gwi-gwang's swordplay here and there during his fight with the jiangshi in the Fierce Dragon Corps."
Ha Mu-baek recalled Yu Gwi-gwang battling jiangshi in the Fierce Dragon Corps.
"Do you know the hall's lord?"
"Of course. Fierce Dragon Corps business."
In truth, Gwi Hwi didn't know the full details of the Flowing Cloud Martial Hall's situation.
After Rear Adjutant's report, he'd focused too much on how dire things were there.
"That's why you asked me about it earlier."
Ha Mu-baek looked at Wi Su-yeon as if he finally understood.
"She must have real talent. To sense that from the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword."
Wi Su-yeon's cheeks flushed slightly at Ha Mu-baek's words.
"Well, if that's the case, we should meet Yu Gwi-gwang to resolve it. Guess I'll be in Sangnam a few days until we head back. See you then."
Ha Mu-baek rose as if his business was done.
"Where to?"
"Can't have a guest lingering without the host's permission. You're here at the owner's request, Gwan Ha-gyeong. We'll talk when Yu Gwi-gwang returns."
With that, Ha Mu-baek left the Flowing Cloud Martial Hall.
Gwi Hwi stared blankly at his retreating back, then stood.
"Let's go too."
Ha Mu-baek's words made sense, so Gwi Hwi headed to the inn they'd been staying at before, leaving the hall.
Gwan Ha-gyeong was left alone in the vast hall.
"Hoo. What the hell just happened...?"
It had been a storm of a few hours.
She still couldn't process everything that had happened.
But she didn't even want to try.
She was exhausted beyond measure.
Intense battles against peak masters, the overwhelming killing intent of a superhuman expert.
And the corps leader's ever-monstrous presence.
"First... a bath..."
She needed a bath and sleep.
Right now, rest was what she craved most.
"C-Customer!!!"
Gong Hae-jun stared at the guest who'd just entered, utterly unable to believe his eyes.
"Been well?"
Ha Mu-baek chuckled and ruffled Gong Hae-jun's hair.
"H-How did you find this place...?"
Eun Cheong-seon came rushing over in a fluster, at a loss for words.
It was an unbelievable visitor.
This wasn't Luoyang—it was Sangnam.
The guest who'd committed a major faux pas in Luoyang.
The one they'd asked to leave midway through selling the inn.
Yet he'd smiled and said he only planned to stay that night anyway.
How could she forget?
He'd been the last guest of Luoyang So Haeng Inn.
"I'm the surprised one. Came to Sangnam on business, saw a familiar inn name, and popped in—found you here. Said you were leaving Luoyang, and looks like you set up shop here."
Ha Mu-baek said as he sat.
It was an odd hour, so the inn was quiet.
Moreover...
The commotion in the east district today had kept people indoors.
Gong Yeop-myeong emerged from the kitchen at the restaurant's stir.
Spotting Ha Mu-baek, he was startled.
"Welcome back, sir."
Not in Luoyang but Sangnam—it felt like an even more curious connection.
"A bottle of decent liquor and roast duck, please. Planning to stay a few days."
"Yes, sir! I'll prepare a room!"
Gong Hae-bin called out brightly in her clear voice—having appeared out of nowhere—and dashed up to the third floor.
"Please wait a moment."
Gong Yeop-myeong returned to the kitchen to prepare.
"Hmm. Looks like business is picking up."
Then a clear voice came from the entrance.
"Welcome!"
Gong Hae-jun hurried over at the new guests.
"Ah, this is that inn you said had good energy last time."
"Yeah."
Gwi Hwi and Wi Su-yeon stepped inside.
Remembering their previous visit to Sangnam, they'd come back to So Haeng Inn.
They were shocked to see Ha Mu-baek already seated.
"How are you here...?"
Sangnam was on the outskirts of Shaanxi Province, but bustling commerce meant plenty of inns.
Running into each other at the same one was startling.
They'd parted less than an hour ago.
"Old man, you've got a knack for finding good inns."
Ha Mu-baek chuckled.
Just then, Eun Cheong-seon brought the liquor first.
Bamboo Leaf Green.
Ha Mu-baek poured a cup and said,
"The food here tastes good."